This year, the political battle for Ohio voters is fiercer than ever. With a tight U.S. Senate race and mere percentage points separating the candidates for President, WKSU reporters are busy covering the story behind the stories to bring you the best information and help you make educated decisions in the November elections.

Most Shaker Heights residents say they’re willing to pay more income tax to preserve their standard of living. And they made that point at the ballot box yesterday.
About two-thirds of voters approved a .5-percent increase in Tuesday’s special election.
This means they’ll pay about 30 percent more to offset a multi-million dollar deficit, that Shaker leaders say was mostly caused by the elimination of Ohio’s estate tax.
But critics say Shaker’s administration failed to make vital cuts to the city’s budget, and there was more to be done instead of a tax hike. Mark Zetzer is with the Shaker Heights Taxpayers Union, which campaigned against the increase.(more )

The school results from Tuesday’s special election are leaving people to wonder what they mean for the November elections.
The results showed that only 11 out of 35 levies and bond issues passed.
Jerry Rampelt, the director of the Support Ohio Schools Research and Education Foundation, says that he predicts the passage rate will improve during the November elections. But for the levy campaigns to compete with all the ads for the presidential, senatorial and congressional candidates, they have to speak directly to people.(more )

When voters go to the polls this fall, their vote for President will not only determine who leads the country but also who will decide the makeup of the nation’s highest court. Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles reports how that’s become a factor in the debate over women’s issues.(more )

As presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney starts his bus tour this week, many speculate that he will be announcing his running mate. And with U.S. Senator Rob Portman slated to appear at stops in Ohio and Colorado, the buzz continues to grow that Portman could be chosen as vice presidential candidate.
Jason Johnson is a political analyst and professor at Hiram College. He says Portman’s appearance on the bus tour does not necessarily mean Portman is the running mate pick—Romney just needs the support, because past Republican administrations are not helping to campaign.(more )

Republicans are criticizing proposed military cuts and pinning them on President Obama as he makes campaign stops in Mansfield and Akron today.
One of the proposed cuts would hit the Air National Guard Base in Mansfield. If Congress fails to pass an alternative debt reduction package before January, local officials fear the base could shut down and lay off as many as 800 workers. Michael Kohler of Copley served in the U.S. Army for seven years and considers himself an Obama supporter. He’s confident the president is taking the country on the right direction economically.(more )

Governor Kasich has been chosen to be a keynote speaker at the Republican National Convention later this month. Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett says a lot of people have been requesting to hear Kasich speak at the event.(more )

The Ohio State Bar Association has come out with its rankings for candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court. And the result of those rankings has the Ohio Republican Party Chair coming out with strong statements against the organization. Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles reports.(more )

There are some people who might say that political campaigns create a lot of garbage. But to political junkies and historians, that’s an outright lie. Ohio Public Radio’s Karen Kasler reports on a convention in Columbus that brings together a certain group of collectors who fall into both of those categories.
The convention runs through today (Saturday) at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in north Columbus.(more )

President Barack Obama spent yesterday campaigning in Ohio. In the morning he was in Mansfield, once a Republican stronghold. In remarks to a crowd of about 2,000, Mister Obama said that Republican Mitt Romney's economic plan would give tax cuts to the richest people in America at the expense of everyone else. From Ohio public radio station WOSU, Sam Hendren reports.(more )

Former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland is taking issue with Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney for television ads he’s airing that accuse President Obama of being responsible for closures of some automobile dealerships. Strickland says the auto bailout President Obama supported and Romney opposed has helped thousands of Ohioans keep good jobs tied to the industry.(more )

President Obama continues to focus his visits to the swing state of Ohio on the economy and how bad things could have been -- and still could be.

In a speech at the John S. Knight Center in Akron this afternoon, he said likely GOP nominee Mitt Romney has shaped an economic platform that repeats the mistakes that led to the Great Recession. And in contrast to the Republican call for tax breaks for the wealthy, Obama says it's the middle class that makes the economy go when they have low taxes and good paying jobs.(more )

President Barack Obama swung through Ohio for a couple of campaign rallies yesterday, his third trip to Ohio in less than a month.
And once again, he focused on the economy.
In both Mansfield and in Akron the President told crowds that his tax policy would be better for the middle class and for the American economy than Mitt Romney’s. WKSU’s Mark Urycki has details.(more )

The latest Quinnipiac University Poll shows President Obama leading Republican Challenger Mitt Romney 50 to 44 percent in Ohio. This marks the first time this year that the President has hit the 50 percent mark. And in an interview with Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles, Political Science Professor John Green explains why that's important.(more )

Nine-term Republican Rep. Steve LaTourette has decided not to seek re-election in November.
Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett says LaTourette told him that he won't be a candidate in November. Bennett wouldn't comment on LaTourette's reasons for retiring.
LaTourette has scheduled a news conference at 10 a.m. this morning at his district office in Painesville, Ohio.
LaTourette was unopposed in the March GOP primary and does not have a strong challenger in November's general election.
LaTourette’s 14th district includes Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties and parts of Cuyahoga, Portage, Summit and Trumbull counties.
The Washington Post reports that LaTourette decided to retire over a dispute with leadership on committee assignments.(more )